Sunburnification

[MissInformation]

I can burn in 15 minutes, but it's been over 10 years since I've gotten a sunburn. I once had a sunburn so bad that I couldn't wear clothing for 2 days (yes, I had to stay in bed with just a sheet to cover me, the blisters were that bad). And ever since that sunburn, I've developed an allergy to sunlight and my arms and hands break out in an itchy rash if exposed to too much sunlight (an hour or more) even if I'm wearing sunblock, no matter how high the SPF is or how often I apply it. At least that was true until last year when I discovered Coppertone's Spectra3 (50 SPF for me). I used it all last summer and it seems to block whatever causes me to react to sunlight like that.

Not to lecture any of you but please don't dismiss the damage the sun can do. I take after my father, he burns just as easily. And after battling skin cancer once, he still doesn't use sunblock. And if any of you don't want to think of the health issues, think of the vanity issues: premature aging. Yes, a tan may look nice now, but it is taking a toll on your skin, and an occasional use of moisturizer is not going to reverse that damage.

But should you find yourself with a sunburn, Aloe is one of the best for keeping your skin from drying out. Noxema is also good, plus it feels soooooo good on a burn (that would be the camphor and eucalyptus oil). It's got a strong smell that some people don't like, but to me it always smells like comfort.

Heidi

i love my italian skin i tan within the first few seconds i hit the sun lol the only place i burn is uner my eyes and on my sholders and nose. other than that...i tan instead of burn up.

[Matt Attallah]

Sunburn? What is this sunburn that you speak of?

Can't quite say that I've gotten a sun burn - I've gotten browner - but I think thanks to my dad's heritage (being Arabic n' all) - I have quite a high tolerance to being sunburned!

[Katie Reynolds]

I'm mostly Irish, and some German.

I have *white* skin. I go out in the sun for 10 minutes and I start to get pink!! Luckily, after my second burn of the year I usually tan pretty well.

[Bill_Hancoc]

Last year my friend got badly sunburnified from the high octane "sunage" we recieved. We both went to school the next day and it hurt so bad! My friend brought a bottle of the green aloe vera gel and that was our best friend for the next few days (especially since everybody was touching our backs)

[Jessica Boucher]

Don't forget to sunscreen your feet - my first Nationals I forgot to sunscreen them, and I was wearing Birkenstocks...needless to say, foot sunburns are my least favorite.

[Bharat Nain]

Hey I'm brown. I don't even know what getting sun burned feels like.

[Arefin Bari]

Originally Posted by Bharat Nain

Hey I'm brown. I don't even know what getting sun burned feels like.

Not true B-rat. I get sun burn at the beach if I am there for half an hour... and it HURTS!!

[wilshire]

I think it just depends on your skin type. i know I can stay out forever and not burn at all. I also keep my tan all year long even though 99 percent of the time I am inside my dark dreary room.

[rocknthehawk]

i burn too...but then after the blisters and peeling go away i have a nice tan. i've had a few usnburns...at the beach bulding a sandcastle for 3 hours..no shirt...no sunblock...yeah...blisters on my back...ouch.

i've got a picture of one of my bad ones. i went to a big outdoor concert last september, and had my hat on the whole day (i usually wear it backwards....more comfortable for me). i guess i didn't even think about it until after...whoops like they say, a picture says a thousand words:

[Rohith Surampudi]

Originally Posted by Bharat Nain

Hey I'm brown. I don't even know what getting sun burned feels like.

ahaaha at last someone who agrees with me, same here no sunburn,

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Jessica Boucher

Don't forget to sunscreen your feet - my first Nationals I forgot to sunscreen them, and I was wearing Birkenstocks...needless to say, foot sunburns are my least favorite.

Aargh! Foot sunburns!! Aargh!!3!

(Did I mention that I spent my first 21 years in Huntington Beach?)

[Rick TYler]

At the risk of sounding like -- you know -- a parent or something, wear a hat and smear sunscreen on your exposed skin. Skin cancer is nothing to joke about, and a teenage sunburn can lead to a melanoma at 40. If skin cancer doesn't actually kill you, you might be like my father-in-law who has had to have skin cancers carved out of his face and ears several times over the last 50 years -- and every divot leaves a scar. I grew up sailing and bodysurfing in Huntington Beach, and I have already had to have a painful treatment for pre-cancerous skin lesions. I'd rather you all have pale skin (for you northern European types) than start growing skin cancers.

There. I know I sounded like a parent, but I feel better now.

[Greg Marra]

I don't get sunburn.

SPF 40, baby!

[EricH]

If I don't put on sunscreen (or even if I do) I will burn. Back-to-back burns on the upper back hurts. A few true stories:

Summer camp on houseboats on the Sacramento Delta (03): I put sunscreen on myself in the morning, sat on top of the boat for a couple hours, and after that, found out I had very red legs. If I hadn't been wearing water shoes, my feet would have been red too. Moral: One application is not enough. Reapply later.

Early one summer (04), on a camping trip: Went for a swim in a river without sunscreen. My upper back got it.

Later that summer: at a Scout camp, took badge classes at the pool for three hours a day. Got very red upper back in the first day. Forgot sunscreen the second day. Third day: [Lifesaving badge counselor]: Please don't tell me you forgot to put sunscreen on again. [Me]: I remembered this time!

I got burned about a week ago on my arms just doing the lawn (a two hour job, approximately.)